Benny R. Powell

Red Giant became embroiled in controversy related to a benefit comic it sponsored in response to the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In April 2011 the company announced it was spearheading Japan Needs Heroes, a Kickstarter crowd-funded anthology project which was intended to benefit "victims of Japan's tragedies." Including a foreword by Stan Lee, and contributions from, among others, Larry Hama, Mike Deodato, and Peter David, the project was described this way:

Japan Needs Heroes is a comic book anthology project that will be released early summer 2011, with creators from across every genre and representing nearly every major comic book publisher. It will focus on stories of inspiration with messages of hope and promises of a better tomorrow by working with the heroes in each of us. It is expected to be between 200 to 300 pages and will be published in full color with its printing being provided at cost by the printer.

The project was fully funded in May 2011, and a second round of funding took place in 2013. By January 2014, however, nothing had been delivered to project backers. Finally, in January 2015, digital downloads were sent to the Kickstarter backers.

In regardings to the printed hardcover and paperback books, however, although Red Giant claimed the project had gone to the printer, as of at least February 2015 nothing had not been mailed to project backers. In the summer of 2015, at San Diego Comic-Con, Lee and Campiti displayed printed copies of Japan Needs Heroes (although still no hard copies had been delivered).

Finally, after many years of silence, Powell of Red Giant claimed that the books (and associated merchandise) had been held by the warehouse company and not released. Ultimately, Red Giant issued refunds and released the donations to the Japan Society.